Archive for the ‘Farm news’ Category

piglets galore

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Spring may not have arrived but our new little piglets couldn’t wait to get started on their bracken-foraging lives on the hills at Selcoth.

new little piglets

They started off meek and mild like little pink slugs.

pink little slugs

With the main ambition being to be snug and warm at the bottom of the heap.

a pile of piglets

But it wasn’t long before they were up on their feet checking out their new home.

checking out their new home

Watch this space for more photos of the little rascals as they grow up, and for the two new litters due from the very pregnant and long-suffering grandmothers Ethel and Mildred.

pregnant and long suffering

Biff the Boar

Monday, January 28th, 2013

On a still and snowy evening in January the girls are quietly enjoying their evening meal, no doubt discussing how calm and peaceful life is without 24 greedy piglets to feed.

enjoying the quiet

Their peace is short-lived.  Just around the corner Biff the Boar is making his entrance.

Biff makes his entrance

Big Biff is so big that he can’t turn around in the trailer and has to exit backwards, which he finally manages with limited elegance.

Biff exits backwards

But once on the ground it doesn’t take long before he spots the hut and suspects there may be ladies lurking within.

Biff spots the hut

 Introductions are duly made.

introductions are made

 And things seem to be going quite well.

things going well

Which is unsurprising given what a looker he is.

what a looker

 There was a slight hiccup when we thought that Biff was going to be too big to get into the pig hut.

too big for the pig hut

But luckily he eventually made it in.

kipping in the pig hut

It doesn’t take long before romance is in the air.

romance is in the air 

And the rest, as they say, is history.

the rest is history 

So fingers crossed for another batch of squealing little monsters in the spring.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Friday, January 4th, 2013

Apologies that Trout Blog was a bit quiet over Christmas, we were literally run off our feet with Christmas orders which were brilliant but didn’t leave much time for experimental cooking and blogging. 2013 is going to be an exciting year for the Trout Blog, for Moffat Water Foods, for British trout and for anyone lucky and sensible enough to enjoy healthy delicious sustainable food. We have loads of exciting plans and initiatives to bring you – all involving food, cooking, eating, farming, home-grown, foraging, health and lots more.  As a brief taster…

Highlights of 2012 

 A year in pictures bringing out the best and the worst of life on a Scottish hill farm, with the final triumph surely being this most decorative of Christmas starters ever, produced by Moffat Water Foods friend and customer Hilary Cole.

christmas smoked trout
Hilary Cole’s Christmas Day Creation

Recipe 14 is …

A new and entirely novel way to steam rainbow trout fillets; inspired by Malaysian cooking and coming to a Trout Blog near you this weekend. 

novel steamed trout

A New Boar About Town

 Ethel and Mildred have rejected Dudley the Frenchman for a new rare breed boar from the Scottish Borders, the blind date commences next weekend.

Ethel and Dudley on first date
Mildred and Dudley while romance still bloomed

Shara’s Troutastic Challenge I am still fine-tuning this but in essence it’s going to involve lots of trout, lots of wild or home-grown produce and not a lot else.  Nutritionist expert Sam Thorburn will be on hand to stop me wasting away (not a serious concern) and I might even throw in a half-marathon challenge to up the ante. Expansion into Rare Breed Ducks, Poultry and Quail

The hut has been built, the ground prepared and current residents Percy and Penelope (below) forewarned. We now need to source the occupants so if anyone has any ideas for rare and wonderful breeds please let us know.

Percy and Penelope
Percy and Penelope taking the news calmly

And so much more so keep watching this space.

Hey good looking

Friday, October 12th, 2012

Selcoth is proud to welcome two of the proudest and handsomest tups about town.

– Introducing Sir Blackface Tup Senior…
Lord Cheviot Senior

Not to be outdone by his younger – and somewhat feisty – companion, Blackface Tup Junior Esq…

Blackface Tup Esquire

And don’t they make a handsome pair?

handsome pair

So far the girls are leaving them alone, but we don’t think it will be too long before their wily charms overcome female reticencall alonee.

We’ll let you know how the courtship progresses, but we are hoping for lots of happy families next spring.

happy families

Moffat Sheep Racing

Saturday, September 1st, 2012

For a family day out it doesn’t get better than Sheep Racing down Moffat High Street.

pre race anticipation
The pre-race anticipation builds.

the racing sheep
The athletes are in the enclosure.

jockeys are ready
Number seven seemed the most upright, we put a tenner on each way.

and they are off
Unfortunately he didn’t make the top 6.

busy day on our stall
And it was a busy day on the stall for Moffat Water Foods.

Selcoth Haybaling & Moffat Sheep Racing

Saturday, September 1st, 2012

 Not content with mere piglet wrestling the weekend crew were dragged from their beds early Sunday morning to help out with hay-baling before the rains arrived. The reward was a trip to Moffat to see the inaugural Moffat Sheep Racing down the high street.

haybaling
Employing the weekend crew to gather the bales in the new hay field

more baling
All hands to deck

stacking high
Apparently there is an art form to keeping the stack upright

boys baling
Either way its better than your average day in the office

sun shining
Luckily the sun kept shining

even the girls helped
Until even the girls got roped in.
 

Receipe 6 a little delayed

Friday, August 10th, 2012

Before we could begin Recipe 6 we were advised to move home, or at least to move the web address of this blog, and that has taken us some time.  We are now back and raring to go with renewed enthusiasm for delicious trout, healthy cooking, sustainable farming and British production – so expect lots more.  And the mission is the same, 52 trout recipes in 52 weeks, scroll down for details from the first post.

selcoth sheep
Sheep on Selcoth hill

Recipe 6 will be a smoked trout and broccoli frittata (open faced omelette) for a well deserved lunch after extracting the 18 remaining piglets from their sunny nursery and moving them to their new home up on the hill.  Hopefully there won’t be too much chasing or too many bruises, I’m sure there will be some entertainment either way.

sunny pigs
Piglets sun bathing